When Kuroko sees Kagami
by lostwriterforlife
Summary: Kagami always saw Kuroko. It just took Kuroko a while to see Kagami.


I know I have other stories that I should be finishing, but I started reading this manga recently and I just have to get these ideas out now while I have them. I'll try to get back to my other stories too!

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The first time Kagami saw Kuroko, it was not while playing basketball. Despite Kuroko's lack of presence, Kagami knew of the boy with the teal hair that was following in his wake as he moved through the club fair.

But Kagami dismissed the boy from his mind once he heard shouts about the basketball team.

The first time Kagami acknowledged Kuroko was during the practice match between the second years and the freshman. At first, Kagami ignored the presence of the younger boy, believing that he had nothing to add to the team.

The seniors began their counterattack and quickly doubled up the score. The freshman started to feel the strain, Furihata even commenting that he wanted to give up. Kagami grabbed the front of his teammate's shirt, furious, when the small presence that stayed at the edge of his awareness knocked at the back of his knees.

"Calm down, Kagami-san," Kuroko stated to the red-head. Kagami turned and glared at the younger boy, while the rest of the team wondered at how long Kuroko had been there. Kagami stared at the smaller boy, but nodded his head.

"Could you please pass me the ball?" Kuroko asked Furihata as he carried the ball up for the attack. Startled, Furihata did so, hoping that it wouldn't be stripped again. The ball launched from his hand and the next thing they knew, Kagami was hanging off the rim, having dunked in the pass from Kuroko.

The team was stunned, while Kagami turned and nodded to Kuroko who nodded back. Kuroko's presence began to rank higher in Kagami's awareness.

The first time Kagami felt panic for a teammate, Kise had forgotten about where Kuroko stood as he swung around to chase Kagami down. The thud of Kuroko's head hitting the court shot an arrow through Kagami's heart. It was his fault for using Kuroko like that to double-team Kise.

The taller man quickly ran back, sliding on his knee the last few feet to help his fellow freshman sit up before carrying back to the bench.

Aida forced Kuroko down to rest behind the bench. The freshman exchanged words before Hyuuga forced Kagami into believing in the second year's ability to help the team. Kagami thought back into the words of Kuroko on the street courts. He acknowledged the younger's words as he went back into the game to help the team push forward.

When Kise became serious after Kuroko returned to the game, it clicked just how strong the Generation of Miracles could be when they began to use their full strength, when they were pushed to showing more.

But words didn't need to be expressed as the seconds counted down to the end of the game. Kagami didn't even need to see Kuroko touch the ball before he was already sprinting to the other end of the court, Kuroko racing for the basket.

Kagami didn't even look as he jumped, hand out to grab the ball and slam it into the net. He didn't need to see Kuroko to know where he was and what he was doing.

The first time Kagami acknowledged Kuroko as a true player on his own, he was not even on the court. With four fouls keeping him out of the game, he knew something big was going to be shown when Kuroko stood up from the bench and promised Kagami that he would take care of the match against Seiho for him.

Kagami always knew were Kuroko was, but to see it in action brought a new level of understanding to the shadow that was normally hidden behind Kagami's light.

Despite the injuries after the game against Midorima and Shutoku, Kagami and Kuroko were often in the park practicing what they could together and testing their light and shadow. Kuroko began to invade all of Kagami's subconscious awareness, to the point that while the team could still be shocked by Kuroko walking up behind them, Kagami never jumped anymore.

When they lost against Touou and Aomine, Kagami backed off from covering Kuroko. Kagami began to ignore the shorter boy, actively blocking Kuroko from his awareness. The rest of the team felt uneasy from the tension that was brought between the two.

Kuroko could normally read the mind of his light, but in this case, Kagami had become a mystery to him. Even when Aomine started to walk away, Kuroko could read him, but Kagami was blank.

When Kuroko began to act independently from the rest of the team to secure the passes needed to start scoring against Kirisaki Daiichi, Kagami saw the light shining from Kuroko. The spark began with the vanishing drive, but Kagami knew that for Kuroko to be successful independently, he needed a shadow to make his own light start to shine brighter.

While the rest of the their teammates had begun to react to the ball the instant it touched their hands, a small fumble would occur each time, even with Kiyoshi able to grip the ball. But not with Kagami. The control was always solid when Kagami received the ball, because he let Kuroko invade all of his awareness.

The night before Kagami left for California, he and Kuroko met on the street court.

They played one-on-one, just playing around rather than working to perfect their skills. But Kuroko always stopped short of scoring when he beat Kagami.

"You're not just a shadow." Kagami broke the silence after Kuroko beat him again. The ball dropped from the teal's hands, rolling to Kagami's feet. The red-head scooped up the ball and started at it as he gathered his thoughts.

Kuroko stared at the older boy, waiting to hear what else Kagami had to say.

"And I am not just a light," Kagami looked up, locking eyes with Kuroko. They stared at each other for a long time before Kuroko looked away, wary of what Kagami was suggesting. A hand came down on Kuroko's head and for once he did nothing to protest.

"I see you, Kuroko. I see the light that you are hiding and I see why those five acknowledged you as their sixth man. But you are not their shadow. And you are not mine. You are only a shadow of yourself."

Kuroko thought it must be raining, that's why the court was getting darker where he looked down at it. The ball was pressed into his hands as Kagami pulled him to the free throw line. Kuroko looked up at the basket as Kagami helped direct him in shooting a basket.

One that dropped through with just the soft swoosh of the net. And Kuroko's heart exploded with happiness, one that spread into a smile on two faces.

"When it's time, be prepared to let your light shine."

His old teammates might have stopped seeing him, but Kuroko knew that Kagami had always seen him.

And always would.


End file.
